Bottle washer



May 1941- J. G. PATTERSON 2,243,015

BOTTLE WASHER Filed Nov. 18, 1958 3 Sheets Sheet 1 I mom/TM m'fdkzm y 4 J. G. PATTERSON 2,243,015

' BOTTLE WASHER Filed Nov. 18, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 \\\\\\\\m\mll\l\|\\@ 0 ////7/A/////////////////////////////// an 1 May J. G.v PATTERSON 2,243,015

' BOTTLE WASHER Filed Nov. 18, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 20, 1941 taste so?! r v N i T D} S T 5 EN 1* Y F Ti Eunius N; C.

Application The present invention relates to bottle washers and more particularly to devices of this character adapted for cleaning Babcock test bottles or similar bottles having a relatively'long narrow In bottles having'this type of neck it is very difficult to properly cleanse it and accordingly it is one of the objects of this invention to effectively cleansuch bottles in afractionof the time required by present methods.

-The invention proposes the'introduction into the bott1e,.and the ejection from it, of a liquid by the indirect application of air, alternately creating a suction and pressure within the bottle for this purpose. 1 7

A further object is to provide anapparatu's of this character embodying an air tube upon which the bottle is supported ininverted position, with its neck immersed in a cleaningliquid to form a seal for the air trapped within the bottle, the tube being of proper diameter to cause a surging of the liquid with a great force along the inside of the neck and Wallsof the bottle when air is forced into or drawn out-of the bottle by the tube. Another object is to provide an apparatus of this character in which a plurality of lair'tubes are mounted. for pivoted-movement to acommon source of suction and pressure 'supply'whereby the tubes may be moved into and out of position within a cabinet for convenient storage purposes when not in use.

A still further object is to provide an apparatus of this character of simple and practical construction which is efficient and economical in use, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise Well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended;

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like' num erals refer to like parts throughout, and in which t Figure lis a front elevation view of a cabinet showing a battery of the air tubes mounted therein, I

Figure 2 is a top plan view, v

Figure 3: is a verticalsectional view taken substantially on a line 3-3 of Figure 2, I i Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on a line 4-4 of Figure 3, l v I Figure?) is a similar viewshowing the bottle in position on one of the tubes for cleaning,

November 18, 1938, Serial No. 2 4-1;237

Figure 6 is a detail of the draining attachment for-the bottle and with parts shown insection,

V Figure Us a sectional View takenon a line 1-4! ofFigure3,-and Figure. 8. i a longitudinalsectional vieW through one of the tubes w Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein for the purpose of illustration -1 have disclosed apreferred embodimentof the invention, the numeral 5 designates a cabinet of. desiredsize and shape having a. horizontal partition 6 adjacent. its'top and at the rear of the cabinet and a shelf I on a horizontal plane below the partition at the front of the cabinet and connected to the partition-bye vertical partition 8. The top of the cabinet may be closedby a hinged lid 9.

.Within the cabinet below the partition .6 and shelf 1 is an electric motor Iiloperating afly wheel. through a worm gear l2 and worm-l3. A pitman arm [4 is eccentrically .pivotedat one end tothe wheel II as. at 15, the other. end of the arm being secured toa crossbar 16 connecting. the outer. ends .of apair ofpump rods II. The pump rods are provided with pistons l8 having a working fit in a pair of parallel air pump cylinders l9 secured together by clamps '20 and 21, theclamp 2|,being pivoted as at .22 to. .a bracket 23 attached to the motor to provide .for the pivoted. movement of the cylinders during rotation of; the fly wheel. p i

While I have illustrated the apparatus employing a pair of pumps it is tobe understood a single' pump may be used if capable of providing the necessary pressure and suction for the purpose hereinafter set forth. FleXible'Itubes 24 extend from the cylinders l9 and are connected by nipples 26 to'a manifold 25 of tubular form supported in hinged brackets 21 secured to the vertical partition B'to permit transverse swinging movement of the manifold. The manifold is yieldably held 'in a raisedposition by expansible coil springs 28 connected at each end of the manifold. t Y i At longitudinally spaced intervals-metal air tubes 29 are connected atone end to themanifold,the tubes projecting through slotted openings 30 in the partition 8 and bent to form a depending loop 3|, the free ends of the-tubes extending upwardly above the shelf 6, as clearly shown in Figures 4 and 5. The tubes 29 are closed at their free upper ends and each hasa port'32 in its side adjacent its top. v

Amanipulating rod 33 is pivotally connected atone end to abracket 34 secured to the-mania fold, the rod extending upwardly through a slotted opening in the partition 6 and provided at its upper end with a knob or handle 36. Notches 31 are formed at spaced intervals in the rod adapted for engagement by the edge of a plate 38 partly overlying the slot 35 to secure the rod in its upper or lower position A Babcock test bottle or the like 39 is adapted to be mounted on each of the tubes 29 in an inverted position, the lower end of the neck 40 of the bottle being immersed in a. cleaning liquid 4| contained in a beaker 42 resting on the shelf 1. As clearly shown in Figure 5 the internal diameter of the neck of the bottle is only slightly greater than the diameter of the tube 29.

Accordingly in the operation of the device with the parts arranged in position as shown in Figure 5 the operation of the motor willcause the alternate pumping and suction of air into and out of the bottle, the suction action of the air trapped in the. bottle causing an upward movement of the liquid in the confined space in the neck of the bottle and the pumping action pushingthe liquid downwardly out of the bottle. j The pressure and suction generated by the pump is sufficient to create a surging of the liquid within the bottle with great force whereby to effectively clean the bottles. j

The cleaning solution is preferably tri-sodium phosphatedissolved in hot Water, some of the beakers 42 containingarelatively smallvolume of the solution, while the remainingbeakers contain rinse water.

Bottles of this type, having a narrowneck, are

.difiicult to drain and the soiled bottlesconsequently contain .a liquid therein after being used for test purposes. Accordingly prior to placing the bottles on the tubes 29 to be cleaned, they are: placed in an invertedposition on the upstanding .end of an air drain tube 43, likewise having a return bend 44 therein and having its other end 45 extending horizontallyiand inserted through a plug 46 secured in a wall of the.cabinet 5. The upstandingend of the tube is also provided witha port 41 to admit air through the tube into .the bottle to'facilitate the draining of the liquid into an empty beaker 48. The empty soiled bottle is now ready for cleaning by the bottle washer. v r

In one end of the manifold a ball check valve. 49 arranged to permit entrance ofa small amount of air during the suction-stroke of the pump in order that the suction will be less than the pressure during opposite strokes of the pump pistons, to prevent an accumulatio-n'of liquid in the bottle while being washed and'also to completely blow out of the bottle the, dirty cleaning solution and draw in a cleaner solution upon each succeeding stroke of the piston.

The pivotal mounting of the manifold 25, operated' by the handle 36 and rod 33 enables the tubes129 to bemovedinto and outof thebeakers toreplenish the liquid and also to move the tubes from the operative position, as shownby the dotted lines in Figure l, to the full line'position, to enable the closing of the lid and toprotect the tubes from injury when not in use.

A drain cock 5!! is provided in the manifold 25 to drain any accumulation of liquid therefrom. The manifold also has the added function of constituting an indirect air, displacement chamber as well as a sediment chamber to catch any liquid which might be drawn back into it by the pumps,thus protecting the pump from corrosion and deteriorating liquids or gases produced by the cleaning solution.

It will also be understood that the pump may be of any suitable type, either hand or power driven.

It is believed the details of construction and manner of operation of the apparatus will be readily understood from the foregoing without further detailed explanation.

Having thus described the invention what I claim is:

1. A bottle cleaner comprising an air tube for supporting a bottle in an inverted position, a receptacle having a cleaning liquid therein and in which the open end of the bottle is immersed to form an air seal for the bottle and a pump having a common intake and discharge port connected directly to said tube and adapted upon a continuous operation, for alternately creating a suction and pressure of air within the bottle to draw the liquid into and forcethe liquid from the bottle. a

A bottle cleaner-comprising means adapted for insertion within the neck of a bottle to restrict passage through the neck and arranged for supporting the bottle in a substantially inverted position, a vesselhaving a cleaning liquid therein and in which the open end of the bottle is immersed to form an air seal within the bottle, said means constituting a conduit having a port above the level of the liquid in the'vessel, and means connected to the conduit for feeding, air under pressure into the bottle and withdrawing, air therefrom to the exclusion of anysubstantial portion of the liquid to cause periodicaleruptions of-liquid in the bottle.-

, 3. A bottle cleaning apparatus comprising a cabinet having ashelf therein for supporting a plurality of; open vessels having cleaning liquid therein, an air tube for each ivessel, having a loop; formed intermediate its ends and adapted for positioningin the respective vessels, oneend of the tube extending upwardly from the vessel for supporting a bottle-in inverted position with the neck of the bottle immersed in the liquid of the vessel, said end of thetube having a port therein, a manifold pivotally mounted in the cabinet and-to which the other ends of the tubes are connected, means connected to the manifold for moving the tubes as a unit into and out of position in the vessels-and means for forcing air through the tubes into and out of the bottle for alternately creating a suction-and pressure of air withinthe bottle to draw the liquid into and force the liquid from the bottle.

4. A bottle, washer comprising a cabinet having a shelf for supporting a plurality of open vessels containing a cleaning liquid, a manifold pivotally for movement therewith, said tubes having a loop formed intermediatetheir ends and adapted for positioning in the respective vessels, one. end of each tube normally extending upwardly from the loop to support a bottle in inverted: position thereon with the open end of the bottle immersed in the liquid in the vessel and anair port ineach tube adjacent the u per: endthereof.

5. A bottle washer comprising a'cabinet having a shelf for supporting a plurality of open vessels containing a cleaning-liquid, a manifold pivotally mounted in the'cabinet, a combined pressure and suction pump connected to the manifold and a plurality of air tubes connected to the manifold for movement therewith, said tubes having a loop formed intermediate their ends and adapted for positioning in the respective vessels, one end of each tube normally extending upwardly from the loop to support a bottle in inverted position thereon with the open end of the bottle immersed in the liquid in the vessel and an air port in each tube adjacent the upper end thereof, and a handie for manipulating the manifold to move the tubes into and out of position in the vessels.

6. A bottle washer comprising a cabinet having a shelf for supporting a plurality of open vessels containing a cleaning liquid, a manifold pivotally mounted in the cabinet, a combined pressure and suction pump connected to the manifold and a plurality of air tubes connected to the manifold for movement therewith, said tubes having a loop formed intermediate their ends and adapted for positioning in the respective vessels, one end of each tube normally extending upwardly from the loop to support a bottle in inverted position thereon with the open end of the bottle immersed in the liquid in the vessel, an air port in each tube adjacent the upper end thereof, and a check valve in the manifold arranged to decrease the suction force of the pump relative to the pressure thereof.

'7. In a bottle washer, an air tube having an air port adjacent one end and adapted to support a bottle in inverted position on said end, a vessel containing a cleaning liquid and within which the neck of the bottle is immersed, a combined suction and pressure pump connected to the air tube and means for reducing the suction force of air passing through the tube relative to the pressure generated by the pump.

8. A cleaning apparatus comprising means for supporting a bottle in a substantially vertical position, a receptacle having a cleaning liquid therein and into which the open end of the bottle is immersed to form a seal therefor, said means comprising a conduit having a port above the level of the liquid in the receptacle, and means for alternately supplying air under pressure to the bottle and withdrawing ai'r therefrom to the exclusion of any substantial portion of the liquid, to draw liquid into the bottle and to force the liquid therefrom.

9. A cleaning apparatus comprising means for supporting a bottle in an inverted position in a vessel containing liquid with the open end of the bottle immersed in the liquid to provide an air trap in the bottle and means having communication with the interior of the bottle above the level of the liquid for alternately feeding air into the bottle above the liquid therein and withdrawing the air therefrom to the exclusion of any substantial portion of the liquid to cause an eruption of liquid into and out of the upper portion of the bottle.

10. A cleaning apparatus comprising means for supporting a bottle in an inverted position in a vessel containing liquid with the open end of the bottle immersed in the liquid to provide an air trap in the bottle and means having communication with the interior of the bottle above the level of the liquid for alternately subjecting the liquid in the bottle to air pressure and suction to cause an eruption of the liquid into and out of the upper portion of the bottle.

11. A bottle washer comprising a vessel containing a liquid, an air pipe adapted for supporting a bottle in an inverted position with its open end immersed in the liquid and with air trapped in the upper portion of the bottle, said air pipe having an opening above the level of the liquid in the bottle, and means attached to the pipe for quickly withdrawing air from the bottle to the exclusion of any substantial portion of the liquid therein and subsequently returning the air to the bottle to produce periodical eruptions of liquid in the bottle.

J UNIUS G. PATTERSON. 

